AE Aquarii: A Short Review

Meintjes, Pieter; Odendaal, Alida; Heerden, Hendrik van

doi:10.14311/app.2015.02.0086

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 9 publications

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“…Until now, the only confirmed IP in a propeller mode has been AE Aqr (Eracleous & Horne 1996;Wynn et al 1997), which displays unique photometric and spectroscopic properties, including a WD spin period of 33 s (Patterson 1979). Meintjes et al (2015) review the major observational and theoretical studies of AE Aqr. Several additional IPs with WD rotation periods near 30 s have recently been identified (e.g., Ashley et al 2020;Lopes de Oliveira et al 2020), but their magnetic fields are apparently insufficient to power an AE Aqr-like propeller.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Confirmation of a Second Propeller: A High-inclination Twin of AE Aquarii

Garnavich

Wagner

Roestel

et al. 2021

ApJ

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For decades, AE Aquarii (AE Aqr) has been the only cataclysmic variable star known to contain a magnetic propeller: a persistent outflow whose expulsion from the binary is powered by the spin-down of the rapidly rotating, magnetized white dwarf. In 2020, LAMOST J024048.51+195226.9 (J0240) was identified as a candidate eclipsing AE Aqr object, and we present three epochs of time-series spectroscopy that strongly support this hypothesis. We show that, during the photometric flares noted by Thorstensen, the Balmer and He I emission lines reach velocities of ∼3000 km s −1 , well in excess of what is observed in normal cataclysmic variables. This is, however, consistent with the high-velocity emission seen in flares from AE Aqr. Additionally, we confirm beyond doubt that J0240 is a deeply eclipsing system. The flaring continuum, He I and much of the Balmer emission likely originate close to the WD because they disappear during the eclipse that is centered on inferior conjunction of the secondary star. The fraction of the Balmer emission remaining visible during eclipse is likely produced in the extended outflow. Most enticingly of all, this outflow produces a narrow P Cygni absorption component for nearly half of the orbit, and we demonstrate that this scenario closely matches the outflow kinematics predicted by Wynn et al. While an important piece of evidence for the magnetic-propeller hypothesis-a rapid WD spin periodremains elusive, our spectra provide compelling support for the existence of a propeller-driven outflow viewed nearly edge-on, enabling a new means of rigorously testing theories of the propeller phenomenon. Unified Astronomy Thesaurus concepts: Cataclysmic variable stars (203); Magnetic stars (995); White dwarf stars (1799); DQ Herculis stars (407)

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Confirmation of a Second Propeller: A High-inclination Twin of AE Aquarii

Garnavich

Wagner

Roestel

et al. 2021

ApJ

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Multilayer dripping handrail: Modeling accretion disk dynamics with cellular automaton leaky faucet model

Květoň

Hroch

Votruba

2023

Astronomy and Computing

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VLA Observations of the AE Aqr-type Cataclysmic Variable LAMOST J024048.51+195226.9

Barrett

2022

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AE Aqr was until recently the only known magnetic cataclysmic variable (MCV) containing a rapidly spinning (33.08 s) white dwarf (WD). Its radio emission is believed to be a superposition of synchrotron-emitting plasmoids, because it has a positive spectral index spanning three orders of magnitude (≈2–2000 GHz) and is unpolarized. Both characteristics are unusual for MCVs. Recently, Thorstensen has suggested that the cataclysmic variable LAMOST J024048.51+195226.9 (henceforth, J0240+19) is a twin of AE Aqr based on its optical spectra. Optical photometry shows the star to be a high-inclination eclipsing binary with a spin period of 24.93 s, making it the fastest spinning WD. This paper presents three hours of Very Large Array radio observations of J0240+19. These observations show that the persistent radio emission from J0240+19 is dissimilar to that of AE Aqr in that it shows high circular polarization and a negative spectral index. The emission is most similar to that from the nova-like CV V603 Aql. We argue that the radio emission is caused by a superposition of plasmoids emitting plasma radiation or electron cyclotron maser emission from the lower corona of the donor star and not from the magnetosphere near the WD, because the latter site is expected to be modulated at the orbital period of the binary and to show eclipses—of which there is no evidence. The radio source J0240+19, although weak (≲ 1 mJy), is a persistent source in a high-inclination eclipsing binary, making it a good laboratory for studying radio emission from CVs.

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AE Aquarii: A Short Review

Cited by 4 publications

References 9 publications

Confirmation of a Second Propeller: A High-inclination Twin of AE Aquarii

Confirmation of a Second Propeller: A High-inclination Twin of AE Aquarii

Multilayer dripping handrail: Modeling accretion disk dynamics with cellular automaton leaky faucet model

VLA Observations of the AE Aqr-type Cataclysmic Variable LAMOST J024048.51+195226.9

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